What it's like to take a £4,500 first class flight on Lufthansa

Even frequent flier Gilbert Ott was impressed by first class on Lufthansa.God Save The Points
Frequent flier and points expert Gilbert Ott is no newbie to luxury travel — but his experience flying first class on Lufthansa left him impressed.

This is frequent flier and points expert Gilbert Ott. In July, he paid $750 (£570) for a £4,500 flight in first class on Lufthansa by using Asiana Club miles, which he earned by purchasing Starwood Preferred Guest hotel points.

Gilbert Ott

"It's a little over eight hours in change, and I'd flown over in economy for a short work trip, so it was a very welcomed improvement," Ott told Business Insider. "To be on a plane with four cabins, and be in the one that only has eight seats at the pointiest end is pretty cool."

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Ott arrived at Frankfurt Airport's First Class terminal — yes, there's a separate one — and said it was "like a hotel lobby but just for first class passengers," compete with a cigar bar, fine dining, unlimited booze, shower rooms, nap rooms, and private security.

It was "all you can drink," from $200-a-bottle Johnnie Walker Blue, to Bollinger Champagne or 12 kinds of water.

There was plenty of food on offer, too.

Ott was impressed by the meat slicer.

When it was time to board, a Porsche Cayenne picked Ott up to drive him directly from the lounge to the plane. "I don't have to go into the terminal, I don't have to board with the rest of the people, I'm going straight to the plane, on the ground," he said.

This is what first class looks like on a Lufthansa plane.

The seats are certainly spacious — and there was a divider wall for extra privacy. "The seat is not the wildest one you’ll find in first class — that belongs to the Etihad First Apartment — but the service, comfort, and refinement is up there with anyone," Ott told BI.

They left him the bottle. "The champagne goes for $150 a bottle, and there's a caviar course, so I definitely made a dent in getting my money’s worth," Ott said.

He also dug into some Beluga vodka. "I had a wonderful crew member named Alex taking care of me," Ott said. "He was so good I remember his name months later. It felt like a really cool friend who said 'It’s all on me, we’re going big tonight.'"

Throughout the flight, food was served on white table cloths.

When it was time for bed, the cabin crew made his bed for him. There was even a button he could push to put up a wall to make his bed completely private.

"I have a rule of thumb which I apply in my editorial guidelines on the site which roughly reads 'If you have anything bad to say about first class, someone will come from economy and kick your ass,'" Ott said. "I can’t fault a single thing about the experience."